Even if you don’t know Tony Fadell by name, you definitely know the products he’s designed; in fact, chances are you have one in your pocket right now if you’re an iPhone user. After a 25-year career designing some of the most ubiquitous and inventive products of the last few decades, Tony’s adding “author” to his resume with his just-published book, Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making. But Fadell’s new chapter isn’t a vanity project; it’s about using his experience and the lessons learned to help people create things with a purpose and which will solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. I hope you’ll see that in these excerpts from our conversation (edited for length and clarity), which ranged from our early careers in Silicon Valley, to designing the iPod, to, yes, assholes. I’ve known Tony for years, and I’m excited for him to share his insights with you here.
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